Perhaps the most intriguing passage of the Huff piece comes when Foer dubs novel writing “the quintessence of freedom”. As defined in Wikipedia, “The Quintessence” is “an album released by Quincy Jones and his orchestra… in 1961, his only album on the Impulse! Records jazz label.” More on this surprising rapport between the maestro behind Thriller and the flyweight behind Sammy Davis, Jr, Jr. as it develops.